With My Heart Wide Open

Chapter 62

Sergio still couldn't believe that Audrey had agreed to marry him. They hadn't been together long at all and Audrey was definitely the type of person that didn't like to rush into anything. He felt that their relationship had moved somewhat fast, but he wouldn't want it any other way. Everything with Audrey had felt like it was meant to be from the moment he had met her and now was no different. He had known as soon as he had seen the jewelry store that he wanted to propose and he never questioned his decision once. From the time he saw the store and bought the ring until now, he was confident that he had made the right decision in following his heart. 

Audrey had laughed when he had told her the story of the salesperson at the store. Even though he left out the part about the ring costing almost twenty thousand dollars, he had told her that the man had relentlessly questioned whether Sergio was able to afford such a lavish piece of jewelry. Audrey had found it hilarious when Sergio explained that he had told the salesman that he didn't need to finance it and could very much afford the ring. He simply handed the man his card, which Sergio said, made the salesman's eyes bug out of his head and when the purchase had actually been approved and not declined, the salesman was overly apologetic. 

That was one of the good things about being in the U.S, nobody knew who he was, so he was free to just be normal for a bit.  If he had made the purchase in Madrid, it would have been in every newspaper by the next morning, if not the evening news. Here though, it appeared to the salesman that Sergio was just a random, rich man who bought a ring for a very luck lady. 

Sergio stared at Audrey across the table, as she ate her dinner. They were enjoying a nice meal at a local pub and Sergio was thankful that they didn't have the paparazzi hounding them like they would if they were in Madrid. The sparkle of the ring caught his eye and he couldn't help but smile. Yes, he thought to himself, Audrey is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I will do whatever I have to do to protect her for the rest of my life. 

"What?" Audrey asked, breaking the silence.

"Nothing, love." Sergio responded, still smiling at Audrey.

"Then why are you staring at me with that goofy smile on your face?" She said, returning his smile.

"Because I love you so much and I get to love you everyday for the rest of my life. Not to mention...I am still a little excited that you agreed to be my wife. Because you know what that means right?" 

"That I get to annoy you for the rest of you life?" She asked in return, winking at him.

"That is something that you don't do...but it means that I can kiss you whenever I want...and...I get to see you naked....forever." He said returning the wink. 

"Of course you would say that, Sergio." Audrey laughed as she playfully rolled her eyes. Sergio made her so happy, especially when he was being silly and fun. She got to see a side of Sergio that most people did not. When he was in the public eye or on the pitch, he had the tendency of being very serious. Audrey felt lucky that he was so comfortable with her, that he was able to let loose and be himself. She loved every part of him and was honored that he wanted to spend his life with her. 

****

During the flight back to Madrid, Audrey had voiced her concern about returning. She hadn't done a very good job of following the directions given by Jake. If anything she had done the exact opposite of what he said he wanted and now she feared that if he found out that she and Sergio hadn't broken up, but had instead gotten engaged, that he would have a complete break down and hurt one of them somehow. Sergio had assured her that he had already asked Rene to hire security detail to watch over both of them, at all times. He told her that she would be protected and had nothing to worry about, but he had insisted that she move in with him and not even return to the apartment. Audrey had happily agreed. She didn't feel safe enough to return to the apartment anyhow, so going straight to Sergio's house wouldn't bother her one bit. 

They had both agreed that they wouldn't announce to the press that they were engaged right away, hoping that if they kept it private they wouldn't have to worry about Jake finding out. If they stayed out of the spotlight, there was a chance that he would just get bored with the situation and go back to the U.S. Audrey knew that Jake didn't stay committed to many things for very long, so she hoped that he would retreat and maybe take Camila with him. She really didn't want to have to deal with the woman, she just wanted to live as normal a life as possible, with Sergio. However, there was still a lingering fear inside both Sergio and Audrey. Jake and Camila couldn't be trusted and it was glaringly obvious that they were working together, even though Camila was probably just a gold-digger who would move on when Sergio continued denying her attentions, but Jake had made it clear that his intentions were much more sinister. 

****

"Stefan...any updates?" Rene said, answering his phone.

"Yes, a few. Are you busy?" Stefan replied. 

"No, not busy at all. I am just waiting for Sergio and Audrey to return. I have to pick them up from the airport when they land." 

"Good. How many guys did you say you hired to keep an eye on things?" 

"Four total. Two to stay close to each of them at all times." 

"I think that should be fine. However, I have noticed that Mr. Bosler has pretty much set up post at the apartment building. My surveillance has shown him to vacate the area for only short periods of time throughout the day and night. I am quite surprised he has not caught onto the fact that Audrey has not been there for a few days." Stefan explained. 

"Well he doesn't appear to be the brightest, now does he." Rene said with a chuckle. 

"I wouldn't suggest that Ms. King return to apartment right away, though. At least not without security." 

"Oh, Sergio has already put his foot down...she is moving directly in with him. If you can get a more predictable pattern in Bosler's movements, I can get someone over there to collect her belongings and then he will be none the wiser." 

"Yes, the less he knows the better. I do have some information on Camila Fernandez, as well. She has some low-level stalking charges on her record, but other than that she checks out clean. I have been told by my men, that she is not with Jake when he is watching the apartment, but out on the town at clubs and such. I don't think we need to worry about her as much as Bosler, but I will still keep my guys on her tail, just to be safe."

"Yes, please do. We don't want to let down our guard at all. Do you think Jake knows that he is being watched?" Rene asked. 

"I don't think so. If he did, I would expect him to do something differently, but he doesn't. He just sits in a car, watching the apartment like a hawk. It really disturbs me to a point. There have been no lights on in the apartment and no other signs that anyone is has even there for days. He surely has to see that. Obviously she isn't there, so what is he waiting for?"

"I don't know, but I don't think we want to take a chance to find out." Rene said.

After thanking Stefan for his time, he hung up the phone. Jake's unyielding surveillance of the apartment made Rene uneasy and he hoped it wasn't all just a diversion.